A disabled woman from Barrow has spoken out about how she is terrified of her own home due to its chronic damp problems.

Kinza Wakefield, 63, lives on Rawlinson Street and says that she, and her neighbours on either side, have suffered with severe damp issues since the council came to do work in 2015 and 2016.

She claimed it had been a 'living nightmare' ever since work was done to the front elevation of all the properties on Rawlinson Street and the guttering slips.

Kinza is classed as disabled and suffers with severe arthritis and osteoporosis.

Her troubles in the home began after her partner died just before the work began in 2015, she said.

Around the same time as adapting to living alone, Kinza began to have the worry that a something in the house will collapse or that she'll get ill as a result of the damp issues.

The Mail: Kinza lives in fear that the glass may pop out of the window frames"I've had enough," said Kinza. "This has been ongoing for around eight years and it's like a constant nightmare.

"I and my neighbours are constantly told the damp issues are being looked into but we're not getting anywhere.

"I go to sleep terrified that I'll wake up and the living room floor will have collapsed.

"I have an L-shaped couch and I've had to dismantle it and place it along one wall because I'm that worried the floor will go with the weight. 

"I'm scared the property is subsiding. There's black mould in the walls, the cracks are that bad in the windows I worry the glass will pop out.

"There's crack in the door frames, the stairwell, the support beam under the stairs, the outside.

"My neighbours either side have similar problems however they can smell the damp from mine as mine is worse.

"I have to light candles to disguise the smell. I don't know where to turn."

The Mail: The cracks and damp in Kinza's homeA spokesperson for Westmorland and Furness Council said: "The council is aware of issues raised about work carried out on some properties in Rawlinson Street under a government-funded thermal efficiency improvement programme.

"The council has conducted surveys of the affected buildings and the findings are currently being assessed. We understand the concerns of residents and we hope to be able to provide further updates soon."